Jeff Green: It Was Tough Joining the Celtics

Jeff Green admits that it wasn’t the easiest thing in the world to come into Boston as the guy they traded Kendrick Perkins for. As a restricted free agent, Green also doesn’t know what the future holds. From Yahoo! Sports: “Green wouldn’t mind a chance to redeem himself with the Celtics next season after the lockout ends. But as a restricted free agent, it’s uncertain whether he will get that chance in Boston or have to adjust to his third team in two seasons. ‘They’ve been together for a number of years,’ Green said of the Celtics. ‘They’ve already won a championship, they’ve already have a system, they already have their chemistry and that bond on that team. ‘It was tough to go into that situation.’ … Boston broke up a starting lineup that had delivered two trips to the NBA Finals – and the 2008 championship – by sending center Kendrick Perkins and guard Nate Robinson notes to the Thunder in a deal for Green and center Nenad Krsticnotes. The Celtics wanted Green for his versatility and defensive potential. They hoped that Krstic and Shaquille O’Neal and Jermaine O’Neal could offset the loss of Perkins. With the Celtics hoping to return to the Finals, Green faced pressure to fit in quickly and make a scoring impact. But just like other recent midseason Celtics acquisitions (Sam Cassell, Stephon Marbury and Michael Finley), Green was tentative and uncomfortable. It also didn’t help that Perkins had been popular in the locker room and with fans. ‘The one thing about me is that I’m not trying to fill anybody’s shoes,’ Green said. ‘Kendrick is a totally different player than myself. People looked at me being the type of player I am and with the name I have going into this situation, they expected me to fill his shoes.'”